The UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Forest Communication - the Forest Communicators' Network - is the major platform for forest communication experts to exchange and find common strategies. Its sub-group on Forest Pedagogics is an European-wide forum.

The latest cities to join the Trees in Cities Challenge are in Turkmenistan. At the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development in the UNECE Region held on 19 March 2020, the government of Turkmenistan announced its intention to plant over 2.2 million trees in the country’s cities in 2020, out of which 1.6 million trees will be planted in the capital, Ashgabat.

UNECE launched the Trees in Cities Challenge in September 2019. Urban areas are responsible for an estimated 75% of C02 emissions worldwide, making city-level action critical for global efforts. Mayors and other key urban leaders can play a pivotal role in localizing climate action, with immediate impact on the ground and the ability to mobilize citizens and different stakeholders. UNECE will be unveiled a bold new campaign at the Climate Action Summit to promote powerful climate action in cities through a simple yet highly effective nature-based solution: tree-planting.

The Trees in Cities Challenge invites Mayors to make tree-planting pledges and to put these into action. UNECE will showcase cities’ progress on their pledges on a dedicated website and through international fora, encouraging other urban leaders around to world to take concrete local action through the initiative.